Hello everyone, how are you all doing?
Today, as a special edition of "The Beauty of Craftsmanship," I would like to introduce a Momoyama-period Old Bizen four-handled jar.
For this feature, we invited Mr. Takashi Soga, a huge fan of Old Bizen, to explain the piece.
Bizen jars, mortars, and basins were extremely popular items during the Momoyama period, and it seems there was a constant search for more efficient production methods.
Amidst this, we can see the artisan's aesthetic sense—the beauty of craftsmanship—in the little touches they employed.
(There are various theories regarding the firing methods and clay of Old Bizen; this commentary is based on Mr. Soga's own interpretations.)
Although there is a repair mark on a portion of the rolled rim visible from the front, this is a four-handled jar in excellent condition.
"On the Construction"
Kawaguchi: So, Mr. Soga, could you tell us about how it was made?
Soga: Certainly. First, regarding the typical methods for making Old Bizen, there are two main techniques.
They are known as *tsutsu-wazumi* (cylindrical coil building) and *wazumi* (coil building).
Kawaguchi: I see, which one is this?
Soga: Well, I believe this piece primarily uses the *tsutsu-wazumi* method.
You stack clay rolled into bars, and after reaching a certain height, you use a kick-wheel to join them together.
Then, you create this unique bulge through the rotation of the wheel, repeating this process several times to build it up to just before the neck.
It is likely that they cut around the neck at that point, then added new clay to form the final mouth rim.
Kawaguchi: You mean they stop the forming process to cut it?
Soga: By doing that, you can create the neck with excellent balance, regardless of any slight off-center alignment in the body below.
Kawaguchi: I see. The unique mouth rim, called a *tamabuchi* (rolled rim), and the powerful projection of the shoulder below it are also very impressive.
Wheel marks remain within the powerful projection of the shoulder.
Soga: Yes, the powerful projection of the shoulder on this four-handled jar is truly wonderful.
Also, look closely at the texture of the shoulder. You can see the wheel marks.
Below the shoulder, the potter scraped the surface with a spatula after forming to erase the wheel marks.
Kawaguchi: You're right. There are traces of small stones being dragged.
There are scratches from small stones; the surface was scraped with a spatula after drying to remove the wheel marks.
Soga: Actually, this has to do with how the handles were attached.
These handles weren't attached after the jar had dried; they were likely applied during the initial forming stage.
If you reach inside the mouth and touch the back of the handle, you can still slightly feel the texture from when they were bonded.
The same goes for handles on flower vases; it doesn't work well if you attach them after the piece has dried.
They don't take a good shape unless you attach them while the clay is still soft.
Therefore, the wheel marks left from when the handles were applied remain on the shoulder.
Kawaguchi: I see, I didn't know that.
Are these handles used for hanging the jar?
Soga: Yes, they have holes, so I think they were intended to be functional.
Larger four-handled jars were likely hung under the eaves, whereas smaller ones were intended to be carried inside.
The handles, with their rich clay texture, were attached while the clay was wet and soft.
Kawaguchi: So to summarize, the body is made using a technique that combines coil building and the potter's wheel, called *tsutsu-wazumi*.
The potter stops at the shoulder, cuts it with a spatula, and then builds it up again to create the mouth.
After that, they quickly attach the handles while the surface is still soft.
Soga: That's right. So, when it was cut from the wheel, it was likely already in this general shape.
Then, it was dried to a certain point, and the bottom and shoulder were refined with a spatula.
That is what creates the beautiful projection of the shoulder and the beautiful curve of the body in this piece.
Even for a practical item, the artisan's skill must have been quite high to create something this beautiful.
There are potter's marks that look like "CC" on the bottom and shoulder.
"On the Clay and Firing"
Kawaguchi: Now, could you tell us about the clay and the firing?
I hear that this era was the golden age of Bizen, with a huge volume of orders.
I imagine the historical context involved a need for efficient, large-scale kiln production.
Soga: That is correct. Old Bizen changed its clay and kilns according to the needs of the time.
And the kilns weren't like those of today; they were essentially "giant pieces of pottery" made from the same clay as Bizen itself.
This is where we can see the unique evolution of Bizen in the act of firing clay.
Kawaguchi: I see. What kind of clay do you think was used for this piece?
If it's the Momoyama period, I suspect they had switched to the *hiyose* clay from the bottom of rice paddies.
Soga: Indeed, I believe this is likely a mixture of rice paddy clay and mountain clay.
You can see the rougher taste of the mountain clay within the milder fired quality of the paddy clay.
It's said that in the Muromachi period, they used clay from plateaus or mountain foothills, but I believe the potters were left to make their own judgments on clay preparation.
Paddy clay is elastic and easy to use, but you can't fire it as hard as they did in the Muromachi period.
Pieces from the Muromachi period were fired so intensely that the surface became very smooth.
Since they were using paddy clay and couldn't achieve that level of firing, perhaps they made adjustments in the construction instead.
The iron spots and the stunning sunset-like scarlet color are overwhelming.
Kawaguchi: The firing is indeed lighter.
Soga: Yes, so they covered it with straw to add some ingenuity to the fired appearance.
You can see the glass-like effect where the straw melted, so it was piled high with straw when placed in the kiln.
It serves no purpose in terms of practicality, but here we can feel the aesthetic sense of the potter.
Kawaguchi: Given that Muromachi and Momoyama Bizen sherds have been excavated all over the country,
it's clear that it was a very popular product at the time, and they found ingenious ways to handle shape and firing while producing items in a hurry.
I've learned many interesting things. Thank you very much.
(Momoyama period, Old Bizen four-handled jar / Includes certificate from the Old Bizen Appraisal Committee; box made separately)
size: diameter 25.7cm x height 30.8cm price: Sold
※There is a repair of about 5cm on the mouth rim; we can send detailed images.
For detailed images of the piece, please contact us at the following.
Tel 0869-67-2210 Fax 0869-67-2220
Email to Kawaguchi Tourakuen (Clicking this will open the email screen)